Category Archives: Cape Cod Blog

Cape Cod Birding, Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography

Baby Bluebirds Outside Our Bedroom Window On Cape Cod

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We bought another birdhouse for the summer, hoping that a Bluebird would settle in right outside our bedroom window. We had a few “lookers” but a Chickadee finally moved in, had their babies and then left. We thought that was it. We had Bluebirds in 2 of our other 3 birdhouses, but this one was special. We could sit on our bed and watch the little ones in the house. Oh well, maybe next summer.

 

Then, about 3 weeks ago two morer Bluebirds started checking out this birdhouse. We thought they were done. But Stephanie, the  Executive Director of Wild Care on Cape Cod, assured us that sometimes Bluebirds have 2 clutches, so maybe they were going to stay.

Well, they did and we have been treated to daily treats of watching them build their nest and then feeding and raising their young. We fill our bird feeders with dried mealworms at least 3 times a day so they can feed their 3 little chicks and are they cute! I am amazed at how hard the parents work to feed their young almost hourly.

It has been a beautiful summer treat to watch these little ones grow. I can’t wait to see them at the feeders themselves!

Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Hiking, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Cod Photography, Cape Cod Wildflowers

Beautiful, Yellow Common St. John’s Wort Wildflowers On Cape Cod

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Common St. John’s Wort wildflowers are blooming all over Cape Cod. You can see them along the trails and roadsides. I took this photograph at Fort Hill on the side of one of the hiking trails. I loved how the sunlight caught it.

They are a bushy branching plant with many 5-petaled dark yellow  1″ flowers and many prominent stamens. They grow to about 1-2 1/2 feet from June through September.

Have you ever seen a Common St. John’s Wort wildflower?

Cape Cod Beaches, Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography

Another View From Rock Harbor On Cape Cod Is Spectacular!

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When you think of Rock Harbor, you always think of the channel and the iconic markers leading out to the bay.

I stopped at Rock Harbor the other day just for a minute nand the view from Rock Harbor…the other way… was spectacular! You can see the “rock” in the distance  with Wellfleet way beyond. The 2 beach chairs belonged to a couple who were most certainly enjoying the gorgeous day!

Pretty, don’t you think?

Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography, Cape Cod Wildflowers

Beautiful, But Poisonous, Yellow Common Tansy At Fort Hill On Cape Cod

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If you park in the first lot at Fort Hill, you can see this beautiful Common Tansy by the side of the lot. I have never seen it before, so it was a big treat to take some photographs and then do some research.

Common Tansy are tiny, yellow button-like flowers which grow in flat-topped clusters. They grow to about 3′ erect and are colony-forming. The leaves are dark green and fern-like and aromatic. The scent is similar to that of camphor with hints of rosemary. They grow from July to September.

Caution: They are poisonous so observe them from a distance! The leaves and flowers are toxic if consumed in large quantities; the volatile oil contains toxic compounds including thujone which can cause convulsions and liver and brain damage.

 

Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography, Cape Cod Wildflowers

Beautiful Blue Chicory Wildflowers Are Blooming On Cape Cod

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The deep blue Chicory wildflower is blooming abundantly on Cape Cod this summer. Did you know that each flower lasts for only a day?

Chicory grows on a stiff stalk and has numerous stemless flower heads. It looks like the flower grows right on the stalk. The flowers are 1-1 1/2″ and the plant grows from 2-4 feet on roadsides and by the sides of trails from June to October, so you have plenty of time to see them!

Love the rod-like stamens in the center of the flower…